USA the land of hope for Socceroo Smith

A conversation with Socceroos legend Tim Cahill was all it took to convince Brad Smith the United States was the land of opportunity for his stalled career.

A regular during Australia's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign despite struggling to establish himself at English Premier League clubs Liverpool and Bournemouth, injury and a lack of game time meant Smith missed out on last year's tournament in Russia.

He was again overlooked for January's Asian Cup in the UAE but a successful loan spell at Major League Soccer club the Seattle Sounders has brought him back into the national team set-up ahead of next week's World Cup 2022 qualifier in Kuwait.

Smith said Cahill, who played in the MLS with New York Red Bulls, had encouraged him to make the move to America where superstars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney currently ply their trade.

"Obviously when I found out about the move it was a different one," the 25-year-old left-sided defender said.

"The league itself is growing. It's a lot better than I thought it was when I first went out there.

"There's some big players out there now and I spoke to Timmy before I went out there because he's about the only Australian that I could think of that played out there.

"I spoke to him about the league and he told me what it was like and that it was great and that kind of helped my decision to go out there."

Smith is in his second loan spell at the Sounders but remains under contract with Bournemouth.

He said he was unsure what the future holds when his loan deal expires in six months' time.

"At the moment I'm just enjoying my football to be honest," he said.

"Anything can happen. I really like Seattle, I like the States but I've spent most of my career in England so there's always a chance to go back there as well."